31 March 2011

This is something I made long time ago. Smoked salmon with fromage frais is classic combination of the stater. Fromage frais stuffings are made with formage fraise, minced dills, some lemon juice and seasoned with salt.

30 March 2011

This is my fusion cooking between Japanese and Chinese. Daikon is Radis (Radish) in Japanese. Japanese like this vegetable with long hours of stewing so it becomes very tender. It's better to blanch first before stewing because this vegetable has certain bitterness.

First, blanch Daikon with water; put Daikon in cold water and bring it to boil. Once the water is boiled, pour it over in running water. Then cook with chicken wings with sake, mirin and some water with cooking sheet inside. Cook until Daikon becomes tender. Once daikon becomes tender enough add soya sauce and cook until the liquid reduces.

28 March 2011

"Kofta" is Middle eastern meatballs. I think it can be with anything from beef or lamb with beans and vegetable, but hardly with pork. I added minced shallots, fresh coriander, one whole egg, some oriental spices such as coriander seeds, nutmeg and cumin to ground lamb meat. Shape in balls and saute in non stick frying pan. Squeeze a slice lemon in the end.

27 March 2011

This is my original dish I name it "Lasagna de Paris" because it has a layer of saute of Champignon de Paris (mushrooms) and another layer of Jambon de Paris (French cooked ham). I made one more layer of saute of Poireau (leeks) in the bottom. Layers are made of sauce bechamel, cooked lasagna pasta, saute of vegetable and continued three of them. It's better to use original lasagna not instant one.

26 March 2011

I found this one of the most simple and delicious dish. This is sea bass cooked in the oven with slices of fennel. I also sprinkle some thyme on the top. Season well with salt then drizzle olive oil then cook in the oven with aluminium foil.

25 March 2011

I learned the table decoration flower at Yuriko's lesson. Since the earthquake disaster in Japan, we were both feeling down, and she suggested the flowers that make us feel warm and energetic. The expression of the red dahlia is passionate and strong. I found that this combination of colors and selection of flowers were fit perfectly to my current feelings.

23 March 2011

Torikawa means skin of the chicken. I usually remove the skin when I cook chicken and keep them in freezer. Skin is not very eatable as it is but if you fry well until it becomes very very crispy, it's very tasty. This is one of the menu at yakitori in Japan. I uaually fry well in non stick pan without using any oil until the skin removes all the fat. Then I cut them in thin strips and arranged with skin of yuzu and avocado.

22 March 2011

"Mackerel cooked in Miso","Maquereau au Miso" is one of the most common Japanese home dish. This fish is not Maquereau this time but I used Chinchard. This dish matches perfectly with white rice. First to cook the fish in sake and mirin, then add some miso paste.

21 March 2011

I wanted to make Thai green curry then I realized that I didn't have a can of coconuts milk. So I made something similar with sour cream which is similar to creme fraiche and chicken stock with normal curry powder.

First to saute sliced chicken breast in olive oil with one tea spoon of curry powder. Then add vegetables you like; I added courgettes, mushrooms and baby corns and chicken stock and simmer them until it cooks. Cook them without a cover and reduce the liquid towards the end of cooking. Loose sour cream with cooking liquid and add the cream to the pot then cook for few mins. Season with salt and pepper.

20 March 2011

Age is fried tofu. This is Age stuffed with egg and hijiki seaweeds cooked in Dashi stock. First, prepare the dashi stock. You can use dashi tea pack or powder. Then season with sake, mirin, light soya sauce and bring it to boil. Then prepare the Age. Cut the Age in half and open the inside, then pour an uncooked egg. I added hijiki seaweeds inside but you don't have to put them if you don't have them. Seal the top with tooth pick then cook in the dashi stock quietly.

19 March 2011

I was not very motivated to cook anything since last week's of earthquake. I couldn't think anything creative so my dishes are simple as this these days.

This is pork meat balls cooked in tomato paste with Japanese miso paste. This is very quick dish and match perfectly with rice. Shape ground pork meat into balls and season with pepper and garlic powder. Then saute them in a non stick pan with over. On the side, loose Miso paste with sake and mix with tomato paste. When the meat is cooked, pour the miso paste over and cook again for few minutes.

18 March 2011

Do you remember my "Salt Chicken"? This is salt and sugar marinated chicken filet mignon steamed and arranged with soba noodle in soya sauce with Japanese mustard. Soya sauce for soba noodle is called " soba dashi" or "mentsuyu" and usually sold at Japanese foods section. I added Japanese mustard which is somewhat like wasabi. I also added boiled shungiku but you can replace it with spinach. This is great dish when you don't feel like eating anything heavy.

16 March 2011

I have received many messages concerning the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan. I'm from south of Japan, fortunately my family and my friends didn't have much affects with this.

Yet I've been in an enormous pain knowing the fact that so many people had lost their lives, families, what they had created through their lives in a matter of seconds. The damage and the impact of this unprecedented incident are so big that we don't even know how much it would take to recover from here.

However we have to calmly face the reality and solve the problems one by one then keep going. I believe that because Japan has the history of coping with natural disaster so we can rebuild and rebound this time again as well.

Japan had received huge amount of helps, rescue teams and donations from all over the world particularly from the U.S., also from France, Swiss, Germany, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, China, Australia and many other countries. I'd like to sincerely thank all of those counties and the people for their kindness and sympathy.

09 March 2011

This is one of the well know Chinese dish. In the U.S. it's called "Honey walnuts shrimp". I think this dish exists in Taiwan and Japan without walnuts but I'm not very sure if this dish exists in China since I haven't really seen in Hong Kong. What makes this dish special is that the sauce is mix of mayonnaise and condensed milk. Condensed milk is very sweet, so this dish actually tastes sweet. To be honest, I cannot take shrimp with sugary taste, so I changed the original version of the recipe of this.

My sauce is mix of Japanese mayonnaise, sushi vinegar and tiny pinch of cream. Sushi vinegar is sweeter than normal rice vinegar so it gives more tastes to already made mayonnaise. Cream is not necessary if you don't have one in your fridge.

You need to make the crust of the shrimp very crispy. It's better to deep fry but if you can saute with oil. The crust is mix of potato starch and flour. If you have tempura batter, you can use this as well.

08 March 2011

"Bouchée à la Reine" is one of the very traditional French dish. This is something you buy at "traiteurs". You can also buy already made pies in supermarkets in France, but you can easily make ones with frozen pie sheets.

Traditional stuffing is usually mushrooms in béchamel sauce. This is a variation with chicken liver and mushrooms in red wine sauce. This is made of saute of shallots, mushrooms and chicken liver cooked in fond de veau and red wine.

06 March 2011

I believe that this is the most delicious and simple soup of all. You can make it with only carrots. Each time I make this I can really taste of the carrot itself. It's better to saute the carrots with small amount of butter until they become tender. You can also saute onions with carrots. Pour some chicken stock after and continue to cook. Blend all together with barmix in the end.

05 March 2011

04 March 2011

"Chirashizushi" is a type of sushi that Japanese people make at home for some occasions. This is sushi rice with seafoods toppings. Sushi became so popular recent years in outside of Japan, and I even think foreigners eat more sushi than Japanese. These days, there are many types of discount sushi bars in Japan as well so sushi became more easier to access to many people. However it used to be a kind of luxury for ordinary people so people have sushi for seasonal festivals or celebrations.

I think mostly foreigners have a concept of Sushi as "Maki" as rolled of sushi or "Nigiri". In fact not many Japanese people make nigiri or maki sushi at home because it requires some skills but they make this type "chirashi" is more common.

03 March 2011

Jade sprouts are sprouts of beans that only available in this season in Hong Kong. I believe it's better to eat this vegetable as Chinese cooking but my husband doesn't like it that much. "Flan" is pure of vegetable with egg and some cream cooked in the oven. I think this makes easier to eat more vegetables for children as well.

02 March 2011

In Hong Kong, there is dish called "Clay pot rice" in winter season. Rice backed in the clay pot with some topping. This is very delicious so I tried to simulate ones at home. It takes some practice to cooke the rice perfectly in the pot. The photo above is with ground beef and the bottom is chicken with ginger.